Certain amounts of marijuana could be legal to grow, possess or smoke in D.C. after Feb. 26. But federal restrictions and disagreements between Congress and local city officials mean that the future of cannabis in the District is far from clear.

Here’s where things stand: D.C. voters approved Initiative 71 in November, giving the city the local go-ahead to allow people over the age of 21 to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and grow as many as six plants. In December, a budget bill passed in Congress forbid D.C. from using federal dollars to “enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties” associated with marijuana. The city sent its Initiative 71 measure to Congress anyway, maintaining that it was self-enacting after the November vote.

Now, the clock is ticking on the federal government’s window to act, potentially blocking the law from taking effect. House Speaker John Boehner may have given D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signals that the Republican-controlled Congress will remain silent.